Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2023
Top Ten Albums by Kansas City Artists
1. Matt Otto- Umbra
Plastic Sax review.
2. Mike Dillon and Punkadelick- Inflorescence
Plastic Sax review.
3. Adam Larson- With Love, From New York City
Plastic Sax review.
4. Enzo Carniel, Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon- No(w) Beauty
Plastic Sax review.
5. Matt Otto- Kansas City Trio
Plastic Sax review.
6. Pat Metheny- Dream Box
Plastic Sax review.
7. Torches Mauve- Volume Two
Plastic Sax review.
8. Narrative Quartet- Narrative
Plastic Sax review.
9. Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
Plastic Sax review.
10. Danny Embrey- Orion Room
Plastic Sax review.
Top Ten Albums by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Sebastian Rochford and Kit Downes- A Short Diary
2. Jason Moran- From the Dancehall to the Battlefield
3. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera
4. Kassa Overall- Animals
5. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi- Our Daily Bread
6. Henry Threadgill- The Other One
7. Aja Monet- When the Poems Do What They Do
8. Laura Schuler Quartet- Sueños Paralelos
9. Cécile McLorin Salvant- Mélusine
10. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light
Now’s the Time: Rodney Whitaker
Rodney Whitaker performs at the Blue Room on Friday, November 17. The bassist will share the stage with musicians including drummer Carl Allen.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A quartet led by guitarist Alex Frank performed for Kansas Public Radio.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of a Jenna Bauer set at the Blue Room.
*A blogger named Matt Otto’s Umbra the best album released by a Kansas City musician in 2023.
*Reed Jackson interviewed the jazz-adjacent Maria Elena Silva for The Pitch.
Plastic Sax’s Favorite Performances of 2023
Original image of Artemis at the Gem Theater by Plastic Sax.
Top Ten Performances by Kansas City Artists
1. Mike Dillon, Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie at the Brick
Plastic Sax review.
2. Hermon Mehari at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
3. Adam Larson, Matt Clohesy and Jimmy Macbride at Westport Coffee House
Instagram clip.
4. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.
5. Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Plastic Sax review.
6. Drew Williams, Alex Frank, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.
7. Cynthia van Roden at the Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.
8. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
Instagram clip.
9. Alan Voss, Benjamin Baker, Forest Stewart and Evan Verploegh at Swope Park Pavilion
Plastic Sax review.
10. Rich Hill, Arnold Young and Rob Whitsitt in Volker Park
Instagram clip.
Top Ten Performances by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
2. Devin Gray and Maria Elena Silva at the Firehouse Gallery
Plastic Sax review.
3. Bill Frisell, Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton and Johnathan Blake at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.
4. Artemis at the Gem Theater
Plastic Sax review.
5. CRAG Quartet and Joshua Gerowitz at the Bunker Center for the Arts
Instagram clip.
6. Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
7. Henrique Eisenmann and Eugene Friesen at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.
8. Robert Stillman at the Midland Theater
There Stands the Glass review.
9. Jack Wright and Ron Stabinsky at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.
10. Rob Magill and Marshall Trammell at Farewell
Plastic Sax review.
(Last year’s survey is here.)
Now’s the Time: Alexa Tarantino
Alexa Tarantino’s headlining performance at the Folly Theater on Saturday, November 11, will be her third appearance in Kansas City this year. The saxophonist joined Artemis at the Gem Theater in March. (Plastic Sax review.) She played with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the Folly Theater last month. Tarantino will be accompanied by pianist Steven Feifke, bassist Felix Moseholm and drummer Charles Goold on Saturday.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Results from The Pitch’s The Best of KC 2023 awards: Best Jazz Artist: Lonnie McFadden; Best Jazz Band: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra; Best Jazz Venue: Green Lady Lounge.
*Plastic Sax has belatedly learned that the arts journalist Calvin Wilson died in August.
Art Review: Jazz Is Energy at the American Jazz Museum
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Anyone passionate about the avant-garde jazz that emanated from Chicago and New York City in the final decades of the last century will be gobsmacked by the Jazz Is Energy exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.
The showing of works by the late artist Frederick J. Brown is small, but the magnitude of several pieces is substantial. Brown grew up with future titans including Anthony Braxton in Chicago. His lifelong affiliations with the AACM inform every aspect of Jazz Is Energy.
Brown’s portrait of Braxton captures the genius’ essence. Similarly, a rendering of Dewey Redman is a visual encapsulation of the saxophonist’s sound. The highlight of Jazz Is Energy, however, is a page of ornately decorated music given to Brown and his wife by Ornette Coleman.
Mainstream music lovers won’t feel left out. Enormous paintings of stars including Ray Charles, Etta James and Joe Turner physically dominate the free exhibit. Jazz Is Energy will be displayed at the American Jazz Museum through May 4.
Now’s the Time: Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard is one of the most accomplished musicians of the past two decades. He’s an innovator in jazz, opera and film. Blanchard is featuring the latter element on the “Film Scores Live” tour that stops at the Lied Center on Thursday, November 2. More information is available here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny was heckled at a concert in San Diego. George Varga of The San Diego Union-Tribune filed a report on the incident.
*An appearance by Terence Blanchard is among KCUR’s November concert recommendations.
*The American Jazz Museum created a video recap of its recent Charlie Parker birthday celebration concert.
*David Hudnall highlights the live music presented at the Gates Bar-B-Q location in the Jazz District for The Kansas City Star.
*Marilyn Maye checked in with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
Album Review: Brandon Cooper, Seth Andrew Davis, Krista Kopper, Evan Verploegh and Drew Williams- Compressed Space
An adventurous outing in the courtyard of Charlotte Street Foundation on May 18, 2022, was one of the most memorable performances presented by the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society. Ten days later, many of the same Kansas City musicians recorded Compressed Space. The document is even better than the concert. The improvisations of Drew Williams (woodwinds), Seth Andrew Davis (guitar and electronics), Krista Kopper (double bass), Brandon Cooper (drums and percussion) and Evan Verploegh (drums and percussion) range from pristine quietude to atomizing skronk.
Now’s the Time: Marilyn Maye
Marilyn Maye, the last of the great saloon singers, returns to the Folly Theater for concerts with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra on Friday, October 27, and Saturday, October 28. She delivers “I’m Still Here” in a March appearance at Carnegie Hall in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Album Review: Narrative Quintet- Narrative
Narrative tells a beautiful story. The new album featuring Kansas City’s Adam Larson on tenor saxophone and John Kizilarmut on drums is a tale of beneficent cooperation with the Chicago based tenor saxophonist Chris Madsen, guitarist Scott Hesse and bassist Clark Sommers. In spite of the configuration, Narrative isn’t a dueling tenors date. The quintet works together on the mainstream session that’s less incendiary than Larson’s recently completed With Love trilogy. The uplifting tracks are comforting rather than confrontational. The captivating Narrative is imprinted with scores of happy ever afters.
Now’s the Time: The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Whether they love him or loathe him, jazz aficionados in Kansas City can’t say they miss Wynton Marsalis. The celebrity musician regularly appears in the area. Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performs at the Folly Theater on Friday, October 20. The concert is presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s return to the Folly Theater is plugged by The Kansas City Star.
*Danny Embrey is interviewed by Ken Lovern in four new videos.
*Mary Lou Williams was remembered on an episode of KCUR’s Up To Date program.
*Pinball, a new album by Seth Davis and Kevin Cheli, was reviewed by a blogger.
Concert Review: Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Samara Joy seemed too good to be true. Wondering if I might be able to expose an elaborate hoax, I bought a $60 seat in the front row for Joy’s October 14 concert at the Folly Theater the day tickets went on sale.
Positioned fifteen feet from the musician named Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards seven months ago, I was able to look for signs of lip syncing or pre-recorded vocals. I’m elated to report that Joy is the real deal.
The only deception I detected involved my occasionally failed attempts to maintain my composure. Dumbstruck by Joy’s intelligent use of her extraordinary voice, I was inclined to leap out of my seat during each song.
Not even the sometimes stuffy swing arrangements rendered by Joy’s youthful seven-piece band dampened my enthusiasm. The retro sound invited comparisons to jazz’s most storied vocalists. Joy just might be the greatest of all time.
She breathed new life into exhausted repertoire. Joy’s readings of "'Round Midnight", “Sweet Pumpkin” and even “Guess Who I Saw Today” were stupendously fresh. The coup de grâce: her vocalese is free of scatting.
The artistic maturity of a 23-year-old who candidly confessed her affinity for romantic comedies and Tik Tok to the capacity audience of 1,000 is mind-boggling. While it’s entirely unreasonable, the real thing has indeed come along.
Now’s the Time: DOMi & JD Beck
The impertinent jazz pranksters DOMi & JD Beck make their Kansas City debut at the Uptown Theater on Monday, October 16. As noted in KCUR’s preview of the concert, the duo is opening for the hyper-musical rock band Polyphia.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra is the subject of a KCUR audio feature.
*Nina Cherry checks in with Chris Hazelton on behalf of Kansas City magazine.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Roberto Magris and Paul Collins of JMood Records.
Album Review: Danny Embrey- Orion Room
Stepping through the doors of Green Lady Lounge is a transportive experience. The transition from urban sidewalk to swanky jazz club necessitates a psychological shift. Revelers immediately sense good times are imminent.
Kansas City’s most popular jazz venue has a second performance space in the basement. The Orion Room is even groovier than the lounge upstairs.
Even though it was recorded at Green Lady Lounge in 2023, Danny Embrey’s new album Orion Room captures the speakeasy ambience of the plush basement. The guitarist, bassist Gerald Spaits and drummer Brian Steever craft a slinky soundtrack to slightly subversive behavior.
While several solos are stupendous, the emphasis of Orion Room isn’t on the individual statements. Instead, the music is an invitation to a party brimming with sly innuendos and knowing winks.
Embrey has long been one of Kansas City’s most respected musicians. Spaits and Steever steer his sophisticated playing in insinuating directions. The trio get into artistically exhilarating forms of trouble on Orion Room. All are welcome at the seductive soirée.